Olympic Symbols Olympic Flag and Rings the White Olympic Flag Has Two Rows of Brightly Colored Rings in the Middle

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TRADITIONS OF THE GAMES • SOCIAL STUDIES Fact Sheet Olympic Symbols Olympic Flag and Rings The white Olympic Flag has two rows of brightly colored rings in the middle. The upper row has three rings—blue, black and red—and the lower row has two rings of yellow and green. The rings symbolize five continents—Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and America. It is likely that every country’s flag contains at least one of the five colors of the rings.

The Olympic Flag was presented to Games founder Baron de Coubertin during the 1914 Olympic

Congress. The flag was kept in Alexandria, Greece, ©Chris Cole/Allsport and was first flown at the 1920 Antwerp Games.

Traditionally at the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games, the host city’s mayor presents the flag to the mayor of the next host city. The flag is then kept in the new city until the end of the next Olympic Winter Games.

Olympic Medals

Each host city is allowed to add special details to the front of the medal and create a unique design for the back of the medal.

In the Ancient Olympics, no medals were awarded. The first-place winner was given a crown of olive leaves to wear on his head. Second and third place winners received nothing. When the Modern Games were revived in 1896, first- place winners received silver medals. Strangely, gold was considered inferior to silver. Eight years later, at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, gold replaced silver for first place.

Today’s “gold” medals are actually sterling silver covered with a thin coat of pure gold. Medals are seven centimeters (approximately two inches) across. Gold is awarded for first-place, silver for second-place and bronze for third place. ©Nathan Bilow/Allsport

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TRADITIONS OF THE GAMES • SOCIAL STUDIES Fact Sheet Olympic Symbols Olympic Emblem

The Salt Lake 2002 emblem is a snowflake consisting of three colorful sections, each with its own meaning. The amber (yellow) section on top represents the Olympic Flame and the courage of the athletes. The sun- set section (orange) represents ancient weavings of Native Americans reflecting the culture of our region. The mountain shadow section (blue/purple) is a snow-capped mountain, representing the contrast of Utah’s desert-to-mountain landscape.

Citius, Altius, Olympic Motto Fortius

“Citius, Altius, Fortius” is a Latin phrase meaning “Swifter, Higher, Stronger,” which Pierre de Coubertin borrowed from Father Henri Martin Dideon of Paris. Dideon used the phrase to describe the athletic achievements of students at his school.

Olympic Torch

The Olympic Torch is a tradition continued from the Ancient Olympic Games. In ancient Olympia (Greece), a flame was ignited by the sun and then kept burning until the close of the Games. The flame first appeared in the Modern Olympic Games at the 1928 Games in Amsterdam. The flame itself represents purity, the pursuit of per- fection and the struggle for victory. It also represents peace and friendship.